According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,311, an electrical interconnect system my be formed which includes an electrical connector in which both an insulative housing and electrical contacts are hermaphroditic (i.e., an electrical connector adapted to mate with an identical electrical connector). The electrical contacts are adapted to be surface mounted onto a printed circuit board when the electrical connector is positioned in a vertical orientation with respect to the printed circuit board's surface. The electrical connector is fastened in place on the surface of the printed circuit board by a fixed-orientation molded protrusion that extends from the underside of the insulative housing. Two such electrical connectors are mated together by first placing one connector in inverted relation to the other, and then moving the connectors in a straight line toward each other.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,985, an electrical connector may be formed which is adapted to interconnect with an identical electrical connector. Each electrical connector is adapted to be surface mountable only in a vertical position on a printed circuit board. The electrical connector includes two sets of electrical contacts disposed in spaced-apart supporting walls, with one wall being shorter than the other. Two such electrical connectors are interconnected by placing one connector in inverted relation to the other, and then moving the two connectors in a straight line toward each other.